Astra Tech, Qashio, and Grubtech have been recognized as leading UAE startups that have demonstrated robust employment growth, significant applicant interest, and the capability to attract top talent. According to LinkedIn's annual Top Startups List for 2024, other companies that secured a spot in the top 10 include Prypco, The Giving Movement, GluCare.Health, Huspy, Cafu, Stake, and Qlub. The ranking is determined by evaluating metrics across four key areas: employment growth, engagement with the company and its employees, job interest, and the attraction of top talent.
The Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2024 highlights that Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah are among the top 10 startup ecosystems in the Middle East and North Africa region. Among the highly-rated startups, Astra Tech specializes in consumer technology, Qashio offers expense management solutions, and Grubtech provides services for restaurants and food businesses. Dubai achieved a perfect score of 10 in funding, reflecting its strong innovation through early-stage funding and investor activity. The city boasts five unicorns, making it one of 19 emerging ecosystems with four or more unicorns in the past decade.
"This year's list showcases the startups that are capitalizing on the UAE's robust economic growth and population increase to deliver services and platforms that are highly valued by consumers and businesses. The startups featured have demonstrated notable employment growth, strong job candidate interest, and the ability to attract top talent in the UAE," said Nabila Rahal, Mena News Editor at LinkedIn. The list includes companies that are fully independent, privately held, have at least 30 full-time employees, are seven years old or younger, and are headquartered in the country. It excludes staffing firms, think tanks, venture capital firms, law firms, management and IT consulting firms, nonprofits, philanthropy, accelerators, and government-owned entities.
Startups that have laid off 10% or more of their workforce based on corporate announcements or reliable public sources between July 1, 2023, and the list's launch were also ineligible. These decisions were based on company statements and/or reputable news outlets. Earlier this month, Abu Dhabi introduced an interest-free, long-term loan scheme ranging from Dh150,000 to Dh3 million for licensed Emirati start-ups in priority sectors to support young entrepreneurs.
